Downtown Farmers' Market of Manhattan

There's little need for fancy commercials or advertising circulars: At the Downtown
Farmers’ Market in Manhattan, Kan., the food and the farmers speak for themselves.

According to www.ams.usda.gov, there are 91 farmers markets in Kansas alone. United States Department of Agriculture
programs like the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program and the Farmers' Market
Nutrition Program work with farmers markets to provide low-income people with increased
access to fresh foods. This not only benefits local families who are otherwise unable
to afford high-quality fresh food, it also gives the farmers a way to bring the freshest
produce right to the consumer.

Farmers markets also can be an important asset for communities that can't maintain
grocery stores. Markets provide an outlet to get fresh food that people wouldn't have
if they were living in a food desert. Towns that are food deserts are given a sense
of stability with the help of farmers markets.

By cutting out "the middle-person," farmers are able to grow and cultivate the produce
themselves, and deliver it directly from their land to a stall in the market where
customers can see who actually grew the food.

Dave Heidebrink, a farmer and commercial vegetable grower from Wakefield, Kan., has
been selling produce at the Farmers’ Market since 2007.

"I think that farmers markets are one of the only places in town for healthy and fresh
food," Heidebrink said. "I'm not a fan of the industrial food complex. They're more
harmful than we know and not all growers grow organically like I do and larger growers
use pesticides."

Heidebrink said in addition to avoiding potentially dangerous use of chemicals, small
growers can focus on their customers.

"It's on a small enough scale and with such diversity I can focus on my crops. Larger
growers tend to be "mono-crop" growers," Heidebrink said. "The farmers market is
fabulous as it gives smaller growers an opportunity to tailor our operations to what
the consumer wants."

Aside from local farmers selling their crops, Kansas State University agricultural
students are also reaping the benefits of having a place to sell their produce.

Samantha Williams, a senior in agricultural education, has been selling produce at
the Farmers' Market for three years.

"People can find products that they may not find at a bigger store," Williams said.
"Farmers can also test out products to see if customers want to buy the product there
at the market."

Many patrons of the Manhattan Farmers' Market have been going to farmers markets for
years, in Kansas and elsewhere.

Dr. Douglas Dow, an associate professor of Art History at K-State, says he is a big
advocate of markets. "I've shopped at farmers markets for years," Dow said. "I started
going when I lived in Pennsylvania, because it was on my way home, and it was just
fun to walk through."

Dow said he goes to the Manhattan market partly because of its proximity. "It's convenient,
and close by. I like going to see what's being offered. It's locally grown, and you
can get good and fresh vegetables at a reasonable price."

Many of the farmers contribute to farmers markets because of the proximity, their
expertise and convenience of local farmers markets.

According to www.farmersmarkettoday.com, the majority of farmers who contribute to
local farmers markets have been doing so for over 10 years partly because of their
closeness to the markets. Farmers Market Today also said that the majority of farmers
are within 10 miles of the farmers markets to which they contribute.

One of the many benefits of the markets is the affordability. Dow said that he thinks
the prices are more reasonable and the farmers make more money because they are selling
directly to the consumers, instead of to a large corporate buyer.

"I believe it's mutually beneficial," Dow said. "I see it as supporting local farmers
and students because it's convenient and community based. I like buying from the
school's students because they're more adventurous in terms of what they grow and
more creative in what they sell at the markets."

There is a small parking lot located in the heart of downtown Manhattan that plays
host to the market, where large signs read, "NO PARKING SATURDAY FOR FARMERS MARKET."
This gives local growers and patrons a stable and consistent space to access fresh
food.

The Manhattan Farmers' Market is open Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 5th Street
and Humboldt Avenue and Wednesdays from 4-7 p.m. at CiCo Park from May through October.